New Buffalo Area Recreational Authority Five-Year Plan gains approval

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

After months of collaborating with two other municipalities as well as eliciting input from the public, the New Buffalo Area Recreational Authority (NBARA) has a Five-Year Parks and Recreation Plan.

A survey, which was made available to the public last July through September and then reopened through last October, elicited 303 responses. Recently, two public hearings were held, during which Abonmarche, which assisted with the plan, presented it to the city and township residents.

The plan will be submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources by Feb. 1.

The plan contains individual sections for the City of New Buffalo and New Buffalo Township, both of which are members of the NBARA. The city and the township were updating their respective recreation plans and chose to do it in conjunction with the NBARA. The NBARA also has a master plan so it can apply for grants on behalf of New Buffalo Area Schools, the other member of the NBARA, which can’t apply for MDNR grants.

An updated plan is required for a municipality to be eligible for state grants. While the city and township can still apply for their own grants, Patrick Donnelly, parks director for New Buffalo Township, said that as a group, the municipalities can apply for a group grant as well.

Applying as a group increases the chance of receiving a grant, Donnelly said.

“I think it does present a good image that we’re all working together,” he said.

Seeing as how the deadline to apply for a state grant for the 2023 grant cycle is April 1, Donnelly said he doesn’t see the NBARA applying for any grants this time around.

“As we move forward, I think we’ll start to focus on a bigger project and something we’ll aim for the 2024 grant cycle…No one has brought up a big specific plan yet, so we’re kind of brainstorming,” he said.

The NBARA did order two new water fountains that should be installed in the spring, with one behind the elementary school and the other at the city boat launch.

The New Buffalo Township Parks Department is currently looking at grant possibilities for a disc golf course at its Glassman Park location.

An upgrade to the township’s bocce ball courts and the possible addition of some winter activities by November/ December are also being considered. Last fall, the township added a 20-foot and a 10-foot sunshade to the splash pad location.

More local grants, such as through the Upton Foundation, can be applied for throughout the year.

Within the pages of the plan are what Donnelly described as “general” goals: Maintain and improve the access, usability and resiliency of the community recreation area; develop additional recreational opportunities to meet the current and future needs and desires of the community with a geographical balance along with safe and convenient access; ensure year-round activities are available for visitors and residents; and enhance partnerships and relationships with residents (fulltime and seasonal), tourists, youth and adult sports leagues, local businesses, agencies, community organizations, neighboring municipalities, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Berrien County and the State of Michigan.

Responses from the survey can also be viewed in the plan.

“It was clear people love what we’re doing with nonmotorized trails - they want more trails - but they also want improvements to Oselka Park and an indoor facility,” Michelle Hannon, a member at large of the NBARA, said.

Oselka Park improvements include some electrical updates in the field, lights for night games, a first aid station and more storage for equipment. A need for a soccer field also rose to the top, as well as winter activities.

Hannon said that a “good project to identify what is missing” with regards to recreation in the area would be a “map resource.”

“We’ve talked about that both as the recreational authority and as a township parks committee, some sort of inventory of what’s in our area - so we’re not being duplicative if there’s something available here, we can put our money into something that’s missing,” she said.

Representatives from each of the NBARA’s respective members sit on the authority’s board of directors, which makes the collaborating easier.

Currently, the NBARA meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday every other month at New Buffalo Township Hall.